BLACK GIRLS BEDDING

SEE MORE HERE
!


In all my bedroom decorating endeavors, I've never been overly impressed with black girls bedding sets. Solid black comforters and bedspreads just seemed to clash with (most, but we won't talk about the goth girls) my clients' teen and tween girls sunny, cheerful personalities. Black faux fur and microsuede bedding sets have a tendency to overpower even the brightest accent colors and decorations and absorb all of the natural as well as the artificial lighting the girls' rooms.

But I may have found a black girls bedding set that will satisfy a young girl's need for dark colored bedding. Granted, this set of Tommy Hilfiger girls bedding is not solid black but it does have a black background which should count for something. The tropical print fabric removes or at the very least offsets the dark color and makes for a very exotic bedding set. In fact, the dark black really makes those tropical flowers, leaves and pineapples stand out. After seeing so many pictures of bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and every other room in the home covered in pineapples from back in the 1980s, I never dreamed I would recommend a pineapple print fabric. But I have learned that when decorating it's best never to say never!

Just Kids - Book Review

Just Kids by Patti Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Patti Smith's Just Kids is the best book I read in 2010. It's possibly the best book I've read in the last five years. In telling the story of her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti illuminates for the world what it means to be an artist, a friend, a lover, and a musician. Not what it means in general, but what it means TO HER. In doing so she tells fascinating, magical, poetic, passionate, charming, heartbreaking, ecstatic, romantic, whimsical, and unbelievable stories of New York City and its eclectic inhabitants, its cherished neighborhoods, and its institutions like Max's Kansas City and the Chelsea Hotel. I can't even begin to say how much I loved this book. I never wanted it to end. I want everyone in the world to read it. And I hope Patti Smith goes on to write more books because I know she has more stories to tell.



View all my reviews

Happy New Year

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season and a happy new year. Classes started back today at Mississippi State so it is time to get back into the swing of things. I'm teaching three courses this semester, one of which is a new course for me and the department. Sport Biomechanics should be a really fun and exciting class for the students to learn how to apply mechanical principles to sport performance in order to evaluate skills, improve technique, and prevent injury. I'm also teaching Anatomical Kinesiology and Motor Learning, and team teaching a research readings class with two other faculty members. It should be a busy semester but very exciting. The picture on the left is from a 4D ultrasound taken last week. My wife Amy and I are very excited for the arrival of Cameron Charles Knight (Cameron and Charles are both family names) this March. I might even be able to use him in my Motor Development class in the Fall!!

My Top 10 Films of 2010 - Finally

Black Swan - Natalie Portman absolutely deserves the Oscar she will most likely get.

Shutter Island - I think Shutter Island actually did a MUCH better job at what Inception was TRYING to do. If that makes any sense. Plus the art direction and score are phenomenal.

The Kids Are All Right - Annette Bening is getting all the raves for this one, but can we please talk about Julianne Moore? For me her performance was the much more heartbreaking and honest of the two.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part One - I'm dreading saying goodbye to Harry, Hermione, and Ron. This film has perfectly set us up for the final film and showed us what's really at stake in their world. Oh, and the animation sequence that explained the Deathly Hallows was gorgeous.

True Grit - I didn't care much for No Country For Old Men so was leery about seeing another Coen Brothers film but I'm sure glad I didn't miss this. Roger Deakins is a brilliant cinematographer and this film is like a showcase of everything he can do. And how fantastic was Barry Pepper??? Despite the upper echelon of actors in this film, Barry was able to steal every scene in which he appeared, which was unfortunately too few. And I can't wait to see what that Hailee Steinfeld does next.

The King's Speech - Colin Firth is doing some of the best work of his life. I wanted him to win the Oscar last year for A Single Man. He just might take it this year. What truly amazed me about this film is that director Tom Hooper was able to garner so much tension and anticipation on the simple act of a man giving a speech.

Never Let Me Go - I'm saddened by how much Mark Romanek's film was overlooked by the general public. It's a devastatingly beautiful and intellectually profound piece of art.

Nowhere Boy - Another overlooked gem. Who da thunk that boy from Kick Ass could exhibit a range that would include this searing portrait of the young John Lennon?

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - This is the one movie this year that I've found myself watching over and over and over again. It was practically ignored in the theaters but is destined to be a cult classic on DVD. Funny, clever, rocking. I love it.

The Social Network - Yes, yes Jesse Eisenberg (and his penetrating stare) was excellent in this fine Fincher film, but how about that Andrew Garfield? He was the heart of this heartless story and between his performance in this and in Never Let Me Go, I can't wait to see his Spiderman!

The Beauty of Mad Men #19

Season 4. Episode 10, "Hands and Knees"

ZEBRA PRINT BEDDING

SEE MORE HERE!



The bedroom wall that you see in the picture is not the best choice to complement zebra print bedding! Zebra stripes are cool, that goes without saying, but I want you to study the photo carefully and then close your eyes and imagine it beside a queen size zebra bedding set.

That is the best example ever of a decorating faux pas where too much of a good thing is in evidence. The most stunning set of green, purple, hot pink or blue zebra print comforter set would be totally eclipsed by large zebra stripes painted on the walls.


If you must have an accent wall in your bedroom, consider painting it in a funky, bright color that will make your bedding set stand out rather than battle with the zebra print bedding for attention.

It's obvious that the bold size of those stripes in the wall painting technique would completely overcome the teen girls bedding and the entire bedroom would be the ultimate loser.

Saturdays with Hedy Lamarr #38